Agenda item

The Board discussed and noted the Panel reports which were presented for information. It was reported that several new panel members had been appointed following the recent recruitment exercise and they had been welcomed by the Panel Chairs at their meetings.

Members noted the significant areas of activity outlined in the Business Innovation and Growth Panel update, particularly in respect of the role of innovation in supporting both the clean growth agenda and the region’s economic recovery.  A Digital Board meeting had been held and a report setting out the challenges and opportunities would be brought to the next meeting. The importance of digital inclusion was highlighted as large numbers of the workforce were now focussing on remote working and it was considered that implementation of the MIT REAP work across the wider city region would be beneficial. Other areas of work included the preparations for the soft launch of the Connecting Innovation Programme and West Yorkshire Innovation Network and the report also provided an update on the Productivity Pilot, the Strategic Business Growth project and trade and investment activities.

The Employment & Skills Panel had met on 4 March 2020 and a workshop  held in April following the agreement of a devolution deal for West Yorkshire.  The deal had included the devolution of the Adult Education Budget (AEB) which would provide additional funding of £63 million per annum subject to meeting readiness conditions.  It was noted that apprenticeship starts had suffered because of the pandemic and this was a national issue which needed to be addressed by Government.  The Board discussed the Levy Transfer support provided and it was reported that the issue of apprenticeships and internships had been raised at a recent meeting between Universities UK and the Secretary of State for Education. 

It was noted that due to COVID-19, the meetings of the Green Economy Panel and Place Panel had been cancelled.  However informal virtual meetings had been held to ensure the Panel members were up to date on the activities underway relating to tackling the climate emergency and devolution and the Panel Chairs outlined how the work was progressing.

The Inclusive Growth and Public Policy Panel had held a workshop in February and the report provided an update on the progress made in developing the draft Strategy Inclusive Growth Framework.  It was recognised that inclusive growth is a key priority for the West Yorkshire Economic Recovery Strategy and the Board discussed the Inclusive Growth Framework which will be reviewed to consider what changes are necessary in light of COVID-19.  Members considered this work should be prioritised and would welcome the opportunity for a wider discussion on this important issue.

In respect of the LEP Capital Programme (Investment Committee) update, the Board noted the current impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the implementation of the programme.  The report provided details of the year end performance of the LEP capital programme and outlined the position as at the end of 2019/20 and Table 1 summarised total expenditure on the LEP capital programme in 2019/20 against the revised forecast. The issues for 2020/21, which is the final year of the Growth Deal programme, were noted. All underspend on the Growth Deal programme will be carried forward to 2020/21 which was a significant sum particularly as the issues around the COVID-19 pandemic were affecting capital spend. 

Details of the payment of the 2020/21 allocation was outlined in the report.  The Growth Deal dashboard was attached at Appendix 1 and this showed the forecast spend for 2020/21. The Board thanked officers for their work on the growth deal programme over the last 5 years.

The Panel Chairs were thanked for their updates.

Resolved: That the Panel reports be noted.